Food for Thoughts: Mythology by Edith Hamilton

If you are like me, one who has a great (if unfulfilled) interest in literature, history and fantasy but may not necessarily be willing to slog through tons of tedious, foreign archaic writings, then Edith Hamilton’s sumptuous book “Mythology” is for you.

It is like a mini-Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman (and Norse) gods and goddesses and heroes and adventures. Only it is definitely a lot more reader-friendly, and comes with succinct retelling of their stories and adventures. From the war of the Titans to the Trojan War, you are easily transported to the worlds that the ancient poets  – Homer, Euripides, Apollodrus and many others – crafted.

In the book, we learn who the Titans, the Olympians and patron gods (of  worldly professions or natural elements) were and who were their progenies, lovers and favorites among men and cities. And of course, we read about the stories behind the famous (and not so famous) heroes and legends.

Not only is the story(ies) of each hero and god written in very clear, uncomplicated and engrossing style, but Ms Hamilton gives her own punchy analysis of the prevalent philosophy of the races at that time – “unlike the Egyptians, the Greeks depicted their gods in man’s image” or to the Norsemen, nothing is heroic unless it’s about fighting for a totally "lost cause". (Which brings to mind Gimli’s assessment of the final war with Mordor in the movie LOTR: The Return of the King “certainty of death, slim chances for success – what are we waiting for?!”  or, closer to home, “what do you think of the fight against corruption?”).

As she begins each chapter, she gives her own introduction and characterization of the poet she references: Ovid was the Roman poet flowery in details – with a tad more detail on coiffure and fashion - and does not believe in the mythology yet writes about it for entertainment. And, whereas the Greeks were grave and direct and do not appreciate writing the gory details, Ovid delights in it. While I am not in any position to say if her criticisms are accurate, I like them there because they add value to the entire book.

Perhaps, the other enlightening aspect of the book is reading about the eerie similarities of the evolution of Greek mythology with the evolution of Christianity. The first gods (Titans) were gods to be worshipped with fear while the succeeding gods (the Olympians) were more humane and companionable. Much like the personalities of God the Father in the Old Testament and God the Son in the New Testament. (Dan Brown, anyone?).

Or does the evolution of the gods only happen because of the evolution of man? The primitive man, functioning on survival instincts alone, obeyed and worshipped a great if abstract and terrible God. Then, upon becoming a sophisticated man of high intellect, he needed to understand better a God before he could commit his loyalty and worship. (Anyone familiar with the word rationalization?)

This evolution is almost no different from our changing perspectives of our parents. When we were small and ignorant, fear ruled above all else and love came of their protection and care to ensure our survival. Then when we grew into adulthood we gained knowledge of their (and our) humanity, and the resulting understanding of what they have been through helped us to love and appreciate them more (after a fashion of rebellion, of course).

As some say, with enough time passing, history becomes legend and legends become myths. It is also interesting to read how the concepts of atonement for sins, blind love, immortal souls (and therefore reincarnation) and democracy emerged, from the ancient Greeks’ point of view.

Whatever you wish to derive from reading about mythology - and however it would affect your thinking and beliefs, afterward ;-) - I would put this book at the top of that list (starting from High School and definitely a must read for college literature courses). The chapters can be read separately, cherry-picking the stories as they are complete in themselves. It has a great index for easy access to characters that appear in multiple chapters too!